It's Strictly Ballroom At The Erskine Glasgow Home

The Erskine Glasgow Home celebrated Armed Forces Day in style with their Veterans Tea Dance.

Residents were taken back in time to their heady days at the Plaza by award winning ballroom couple George and Janet MacDonald. The couple performed polished versions of the tango, cha cha cha, foxtrot, waltz and quickstep before inviting residents to take to the floor like old times.

To complete the festivities, residents were treated to a farewell song and dance show by their young friends from Primary 7 of Broomhill Primary School. The youngsters have been entertaining the residents throughout the year but are now moving on to High school.

Resident Hugh Logan, (RAF) aged 90 who was delighted with the afternoon’s entertainment said: "That show was better than the London Palladium - out of this world! It was beautiful to watch. The children and dancers should get a medal"

"The dancers were simply wonderful - a truly exquisite afternoon" :agreed resident Hilary Samuels (RAF), aged 85.

Award winning ballroom couple George and Janet MacDonald

West Of Scotland MSP Visit The Erskine Home

West of Scotland MSP Annabel Goldie visited The Erskine Home, Bishopton, recently to see the important work Erskine is doing to support veterans.

The local politician enjoyed an extensive tour of the Erskine Home accompanied by Chief Executive Major Jim Panton and Chairman Jim Scott. She visited Erskine Furniture and its showroom, as well as the accommodation provided for ex-Service men and women. Ms Goldie also took the opportunity to chat with residents about their lives at Erskine.

Following the visit, she said: “I have visited Erskine many times before and it never fails to inspire. This time I was struck by the clear vision and enthusiasm of Chief Executive Jim Panton and Chairman Jim Scott. They are passionate about Erskine and the work it does.

“I got to see the very impressive factory operation and the high quality furniture produced there. The furniture factory isn’t just important for Erskine’s fundraising but also for providing veterans, many of whom have skills outside their Services training, with a welcome opportunity to continue working.

“Erskine is a testament to what can be achieved by talented and compassionate people, working to improve lives and communities, and supported by the generosity of the general public. Erskine is a credit not only to its management and staff, but to the entire voluntary sector.”

Annabel Goldie visit The Erskine Home and tours with Chairman Jim Scott

Erskine On Tour At Armed Forces Day Across The Country

The Erskine flag was flying high when we launched our welfare awareness drive at the Armed Forces Day celebrations in George Square on June 26th.

Erskine brought along its ‘roadshow bus’, emblazoned with our trademark purple and logo, to inform veterans and serving personnel about the work of our charity and to give them the opportunity to sign up to services they will be entitled to in the future.

It is estimated that there are currently over 10,000 serving personnel in Scotland, all of whom would be entitled to Erskine care should the need arise.

Our Admissions team were joined by Mrs Lorraine Ross, Director of Care, and other staff members to help sign up eligible persons to our inactive list.

Ross Higgins puts his name down on the Erskine list

Amongst those who joined the list was Ross Higgins, a Sergeant Aircraft Technician with the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, who was helped through the application process by his wife Tracy who works at The Erskine Home, Bishopton (pictured above left).

The form acknowledges the applicant’s wishes to receive Erskine care in the future should they require it.

Mrs Ross was delighted with the response that Erskine received on the day. She said: “It was a memorable event because so many people were delighted to see the Erskine staff presence and praised the high standard of care that we give. It was another occasion which reinforced the belief in what we do and made us proud to be part of the Erskine team.”

As well as a presence in Glasgow, Erskine veterans also attended events throughout the country. Residents from The Erskine Home, Bishopton, and The Erskine Mains Home attended the local event being held in Paisley.

Edinburgh veteran Douglas Mure presented prizes to the winners of a drill competition being held in Stirling to mark Armed Forces Day. Veterans from the Erskine Edinburgh Home also attended celebrations being held in Princes Street Gardens.

Erskine Edinburgh Home veteran Douglas Mure presents trophy at Stirling Armed Forces Day

Erskine Veterans Enjoy Visit From Busby Library

Erskine's Recreation Department at Bishopton received a visit from Busby Library after they completed a project on ex-Service men and women.

Their work focused on the heritage of Busby village and also the the McDuff family.

The group toured the Home with Erskine Fundraiser, Catriona Connelly, followed by a talk by one of their members to the residents in recreation.

They also took time to enjoy a coffee and a chat with Carol McPhail. They also left gifts of flowers, sweets, books and home-made cards, and hope to carry on the relationship with Erskine.

Many thanks to all concerned who came to visit the home and brought the lovely gifts.

Busby Library visit the veterans of The Erskine Home, Bishopton

Erskine Staff Clock Up The Years

At a recent award ceremony at the veterans’ charity Erskine, nearly a dozen members of staff were recognised for their outstanding contributions to the charity, which looks after former members of the armed forces, both young and old, throughout Scotland.

Chairman Jim Scott and Chief Executive Jim Panton were delighted to hand out awards for not only academic achievements but also for long service within the charity.

Long service awards ranging from 10 years to 36 years were presented to proud staff members, from all departments including Care, Hotel Services and Support Services, from all the charity’s five homes and Social Firms. And, the strong ethos Erskine has towards training staff was reflected as Erskine Park carers Karen Hughes and Julie Clark received awards for attaining SVQ qualifications at various levels.

Chief Executive Jim Panton said: "Without our loyal staff we would not be able to offer the high standard of care Erskine is known for. We felt it was right that their dedication to the charity is recognised and I hope everyone enjoyed award ceremony as much as I did"

Our long serving staff receive their awards from Jim Scott and Major Jim Panton